Aces36 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 I have a 2013 Legacy 3.6 with 55,000 miles. It seems like every other time I drive the car I am getting a check engine light. I take it to my local auto parts store and they scan it for me and I buy the part. A friend owns the store so he will clear the code for me on his own time because the store is not allowed either by law or store franchise policy. Now I have a P2097 code that can be a few different problems. I want to get my own OBD scanner so I can diagnose and clear the codes myself. I have read where some scanners can be finicky with some brands of cars. I was looking at the BlueDriver for the iPhone. It seems like it is one of the best ones on the market right now. Has anyone used this one on their Subaru? If so how did it work? It seems like a lot of the dedicated scanners interfaces are harder to use but better able to read and clear all codes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aphex28 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 I have like 3 different ones, the things are so cheap now a days, it really doesn't matter. All 3 work across all of the cars I have so I'm not sure about the finicky-ness you're talking about. So long as they're working to the OBD2 standard, they should all work the same. The only difference is that some cars have more accessibility and customizability through the CANBUS functions. Subaru does not really have any of those functions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastixx Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Depends on if you're talking about a tool for basic engine code reading/clearing or something more advanced that can also do ABS, SRS, transmission, etc. The former can be had for dirt cheap; like $10-15. It's a big jump in price for more advanced features. The best bang for buck device on the market right now is the Hyper Tough HT200 from wal-mart for $50. It has features of much more expensive tools, but it comes with some caveats. Each vehicle brand is a separate software module. You only get to choose one brand for free with lifetime upgrades, other brands have to be purchased for $20 each per year. It can do basic engine diagnostics on any vehicle though. If you search on ebay you can usually find them going for around $30, just make sure it's new/unopened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aces36 Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 Thanks for the suggestions. I have researched a lot of scanners and one of the complaints is some of the less expensive ones will not erase some codes. A lot of those complaints are Subaru's and Ford's. It seems like all you can do on a Subaru with most scanners of any price is reset the check engine light and a few will let you do a couple of other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 I've heard really good things about this with the vehicle specific functions, worth looking into. https://www.amazon.com/Autel-Scanner-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Functions/dp/B07Y8HLS33/ Edit: I just realized I basically repeated what plastixx said, the autel ap200 and the hyper tough ht200 are basically the same thing I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastixx Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 I've heard really good things about this with the vehicle specific functions, worth looking into. https://www.amazon.com/Autel-Scanner-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Functions/dp/B07Y8HLS33/ Edit: I just realized I basically repeated what plastixx said, the autel ap200 and the hyper tough ht200 are basically the same thing I think. Yes, they are identical. Not worth paying the extra for the Autel branded version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastixx Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 I have researched a lot of scanners and one of the complaints is some of the less expensive ones will not erase some codes. A lot of those complaints are Subaru's and Ford's. It seems like all you can do on a Subaru with most scanners of any price is reset the check engine light and a few will let you do a couple of other things. I personally haven't tried the HT200 on Subaru, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Haven't had any issues with multiple different tools on my '09 Outback or '11 Legacy. If you do buy it from Wal-Mart you could just return it if it doesn't work properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creep_nu Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 i've just used one of those cheap generic bluetooth OBD2 scanners and torque on android for years. Wont' get in to ABS or SRS stuff, but for all of the generic codes and things i've never run in to an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aces36 Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 I was talking to a friend of mine about all the problems I have with this car and the constant check engine lights and gave a brand new Innova 5210 scanner to keep. He has a BMW M5 and M3 and he won't work on them himself so he has no use for the scanner. I plugged it in and sure enough it had the P2097 code. I hit erase and it erased the code. I still have to figure out what is causing the code. I guess I now have a scanner to use that works on Subaru's. It wasn't one of the ones I looked but if it works I will hold on to it. Thanks for all the suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastixx Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 I was talking to a friend of mine about all the problems I have with this car and the constant check engine lights and gave a brand new Innova 5210 scanner to keep. That's a decent basic tool, especially considering it was free. Does live data and ABS (the 5310 also does SRS and live data graphing). If there's a firmware update for it, it can be done from a Windows PC using this program... https://s3.amazonaws.com/download.innova.com/softwares/RS2Updater_V1.1.7_PCLive.exe Update instructions... https://www.innova.com/Content/Support/Downloads/New_Tools_FW_Updatedate_Instructions.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvsubaru Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I believe that everyone that does any maintenance on their own cars should own a code reader. I have an older Inova scan tool that I keep in my subaru. I also have a vagcom cable to use with Free SSM (subaru select monitor) that offers some more advanced troubleshooting capabilities. Does anyone else still use this sort of setup? Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 So does the freeSSM software let you do the various "customization" sort of options you can do with the SSM? (turning on/off shock sensors, adjusting headlight auto-on sensitivity, etc.) I have a couple of bluetooth OBD2 readers - a cheap chinesium one that runs great with Torque (one of the clear blue plastic ones - it cost under $10 when I bought it a number of years ago) and then I was curious and tried a nicer bluetooth one (OBDLink MX+) which is a little more full-featured (software is a bit more user friendly - plus all of the manufacturer specific packages are no-cost updates, which is good (doesn't help with Subaru, but does with other vehicles I use it on)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastixx Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I also have a vagcom cable to use with Free SSM (subaru select monitor) that offers some more advanced troubleshooting capabilities. Does anyone else still use this sort of setup? I have a high quality KKL adapter and a laptop that I set up for diagnostic use that has Free SSM and RomRaider. It doesn't see much use though because I was lucky enough to snag a Launch EasyDiag 2.0 years ago when you could buy them for $50 on Amazon. I'm able to keep the software up to date (nearly) for free thanks to some crafty Russian hackers. It's a serious amount of diagnostic power in a tiny package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdanny2142 Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 I'm personally extremely satisfied with my blue driver unit. It's read and cleared every code I've thrown with my lgt, and even works on cars like my brothers b6 a4 and my dad's e60 m5. The BMW was why it was purchased, everything else was a nice bonus. It also allows live data logging with log saving so you can upload to pc and convert it to a spreadsheet for easy viewing. Also being that it's a Bluetooth unit, and about the size of a progressive driving monitor, I just leave it in the port in my car now and its always there! On another note, owning a laptop with the proper cables and software is a game changer. I'm still waiting on my open port but own a cheap eBay dual k cable and a genuine ross tech unit. The depth of data available once you're into the ecu how the dealer would be, is astounding. It may be pricey but well worth the investment in the long run. Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamescavier Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 The factory tool costs thousands. The VxDiag subaru device is far from perfect but it helps out. it connects all the control modules easily, and change the Body Integrated Unit programming.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastixx Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 The factory tool costs thousands. The VxDiag subaru device is far from perfect but it helps out. it connects all the control modules easily, and change the Body Integrated Unit programming.. Hey, thanks for the suggestion Mr. 1 post spammer. I'll be sure to buy it from a different shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amusa Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 I have multiples scanner from the cheap $20 to the high end like Snap-On Zeus. Still trying to get my hands on MB Star will be my next big purchase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aces36 Posted March 25, 2021 Author Share Posted March 25, 2021 I have read the P2097 is such a generic code that it takes many steps to diagnose it. The Innova scanner showed me that code and also showed it was the bank 1 sensor 1 oxygen sensor that was bad. After replacing it , I erased the code. A few days later I got another check engine light. I plugged the scanner in and it came up as bank 1 sensor 2. So I replaced that one. And yet again a few days later I got another check engine light. This time it was bank 2 sensor 2. I replaced that and all has been good for now. I am just waiting for that last sensor to go bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norutah Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 (edited) I bought a married AP because I needed the cable. Turns out it will read codes and display KPIs on other subarus even though it's married. I haven't tried it on non subarus yet Sent from my HD1925 using Tapatalk Edited March 28, 2021 by norutah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastixx Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 Turns out it will read codes and display KPIs on other subarus even though it's married. What a little slut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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